Watching Course Videos
Videos are posted on your course website within 48 hours of the class meeting. To watch the lecture videos for your course:
- Visit your course website (linked in the list of online courses). You may want to bookmark the website for future reference.
- Choose “Lecture Videos” from the menu on the course website.
- Select the video you would like to watch.
- Log in to watch the video.
Log in using your Harvard ID number and PIN
After the second week of classes, lectures are password-protected. You may log in using your Harvard University ID number and PIN, which are different from your DCE ID number and PIN that you use to access Harvard Extension School online services. See ID Numbers and PINs.
Download a current video player
Lecture videos are presented in Flash media. Download the most recent version of the Adobe Flash Player before you view the lecture videos. Earlier versions are not supported. You must also be using a current version of a supported browser with the minimum Internet and system requirements. Supported browsers for Windows are Internet Explorer 7 and higher, and Firefox 3 and higher. Supported browsers for Macintosh are Safari 3 and higher, and Firefox 3 and higher.
See Technical Requirements for more and to download a player.
Determine bandwidth
Several video format options are available depending on the speed of your connection to the Internet (bandwidth). The information below should help you determine your bandwidth. Before you view lectures, you will be asked to select a bandwidth option from the video preference menu (below). Please note that the faster the Internet connection you are able to use the better video performance you can expect.
- High bandwidth. Choose this option from the video preference menu if you have a cable modem, DSL, or a corporate network connection to the Internet.
- Audio only. Choose this option if you have a low-bandwidth connection to the Internet or you only wish to listen to the audio portion of the lecture. This option does provide the materials window, which displays slides if your lecture includes them.
Video preference menu
If you follow the video link from your course website, you will be presented with the video preference menu. Use this menu to choose the appropriate bandwidth option, as mentioned above. The video preference menu also shows how the different video format options will appear.
Sample video preference menu: Use this menu to choose the appropriate bandwidth option.
Lecture viewing window
Once you have selected your bandwidth option, you will be presented with the lecture viewing window from which you will view the lectures. (See the screenshot example shown below.)
The control bar below the video allows you to stop, start, pause, and adjust the volume. The right side contains supplementary information, such as outlines and slides that correspond with the segment of the video you are watching. Note that the appearance of this window differs slightly between Flash and RealPlayer.
Courses with live-streaming videos
If your course or section is being streamed live, you can find it at http://classroom.dce.harvard.edu. The live video starts approximately 1 minute before the class start time. Lectures will also be available 48 hours later from the video page on your course website.